Chauncey on Chauncey, Part 2

Earlier this season, the Denver Post ran an extensive interview I did with Chauncey Billups soon after he was traded to the Nuggets. There were two parts to the piece, and what follows is a short Part 2, on the eve of Billups’ return to Detroit where he spent the previous six seasons.

Of particular interest is his take on how he hopes Detroit fans remember him there. The Nuggets are already in Detroit today and play the Pistons tomorrow. I have moved that question to the top.

Q: How do you hope Detroit fans remember you?

A: That’s always going to be my home away from home. I feel like I grew up there in my career. I had some unbelievable times there. There was never a bad time there. There’s not a lot of people that can say that. I had awesome, awesome, awesome years there. I think that the fans in Detroit will always remember me as somebody that came to play every single night, and came to play for all the right reasons every single night. I wasn’t out there trying to chase stats and chase All-Star games, none of that. All of my goals were accomplished through winning and playing right. I think they will always remember me for that and appreciate me for that.

Q: Do you keep up with the Pistons at all?

A: Oh yeah, I talk to them all the time.

Q: Have the early ups-and-downs in your career given you a renewed appreciation for where you are now?

A: It’s funny, every All Star game that I’ve played in, as I’m sitting on the bench at the start of games or whatever, I look at players on my team, guys on the court, players on the other team, I look around and I’m sitting there saying ‘Not one of these dudes traveled my path. Not one. Most of the guys they came in the league, they were already stars, they continued on that path, they never fall off. They just ride it all the way through. Nobody fell all the way off then climbed and got all the way back to the top like I have. I just appreciate, I appreciate those things, being mentioned as one of the best. I don’t know if it’s more than the next man, but I know my appreciation for it is high.

Q: Talk about how you lead on the court.

A: I think that one of the main differences is I probably go about the game a little different. I’m a lot more serious on the court. I’m probably a lot more intense than some of these guys thought I would be on the court. Off the court I’m a totally different dude. But my passion’s to win, and I’m a perfectionist out there. If something doesn’t go right, I’m not always happy, but I’m not that guy that’s going to get in somebody’s face, I don’t go about it that way. But I have my ways. In the heat of battle guys are going to know I’m in that foxhole with them and I’m in it to win it every single time.

Q: How much of what the Nuggets can be is the need for talent and how much is growth in the system, with each other, and going through all the on-court situations to gain that experience?

A: I think probably 85 percent of that is experience and growth and probably going through stuff. For instance, the game we played against San Antonio (on Dec. 4), they just pretty much picked us apart. They had their way with us. It wasn’t because we didn’t play hard, it was because they are so experienced and they know when a team is playing a certain way, then ‘Ok, we’re going to play this way.’ They’ve been through it all so many times, it’s like second nature. So we’ve got to get to a point where we learn from games like that and next time we face them or face a team that plays like them, we play better. It can never be about you. Nobody is more important than the team. That’s what great teams are about.

Q: Where are the Nuggets in terms of contending teams in the Western Conference?

A: I think in this Western Conference right now, I think the Lakers are probably the most polished team out there. Then I think, honestly, there’s about four or five teams that are right there in the pack. I feel like we’re in the pack. We’ve got a lot to accomplish. We’ve got a lot of areas that we can get better in, that we can get more polished in. So from that perspective, I always feel good about it because we’re not at the top. Our head is not touching the ceiling, nowhere near it. So I feel like when we get close to that we can be dangerous.

Q: How many more years do you have in you?

A: I think a lot. I just feel good. I feel good. And even though I am 32 my game is not speed or athleticism or jumping. My game is, and I’m not saying I’m slow or anything like that, but my game is mental. My game is shooting, my game is efficiency. So, with that being said, if I’m healthy I feel like I can be effective for a long time. I’m not going to lose a step or lose five inches on my vertical. This is me.

Chris Dempsey arrived at The Denver Post in Dec. 2003 after seven years at the Boulder Daily Camera, where he primarily covered the University of Colorado football and men's basketball teams. A University of Colorado-Boulder alumnus, Dempsey covers the Nuggets and also chips in on college sports.